Kobe Steel to Expend 44 billion yen for Rolled Aluminium & Copper

Kobe Steel’s aluminium and copper unit plans to expend 44 billion yen in consolidated and construction basis under the new 3 year plan to fiscal 2008 ending March 2009. Mr. Hiroyuki Nakayama, president of Kobe Steel’s Aluminum and Copper Company briefed the plan on Thursday. The unit tries to clear cumulative loss in unconsolidated basis by fiscal 2008. The unit will increase the sales of rolled aluminium and copper to annual 540,000 tonnes in fiscal 2008. The unit plans to expend 17.4 billion yen for fiscal 2006 including new downstream facilities for rolled copper products. The unit plans 17.4 billion yen of capital expenditure for fiscal 2007 and 12.3 billion yen for fiscal 2008. The unit introduces a degreasing-pickling-cleaning line for 1.4 billion yen and a reflow tin plating line for 700 million yen at the rolled copper plant in Chofu, Yamaguchi. The unit also expands the output capacity of alloyed copper strip used for lead frame and terminal connector. The unit plans to increase the sales of aluminium flat and extrusion products and copper flat and tune products in fiscal 2008. The unit expects the demand of aluminium and copper products will grow for automobile and information technology industry.